Lectures Upon Psalm 51, Part 3 · Lecture 38
Lecture XXXVIII. On Psalme 51.3. Octob. 31. 1626.
IT followeth now that we proceed to the third and last kind of confession which we are to be exhorted unto, from the example of David, if we desire to finde mercy with God as David did; we must above all things be willing and ready to confesse our sins unto the Lord himselfe. Of all the three kinds of confession that have beene commended unto us in the example of David, this is the principall, this all Gods people must strive to make most conscience of. This is that kind of confession of sins, that Gods Saints have most practised, and found comfort in. I acknowledged my sin unto thee, (saith David Psal. 32.5.) I said I will confesse my transgressions unto the Lord. I will arise (saith the prodigall Luke 15.18) and goe to my father, and will say unto him, Father I have sinned against heaven, and before thee. This is the confession which the holy Ghost in Scripture doth most urge, and commend unto us, and for one word he speaketh of the other two kinds, he speaketh twenty of this. Which is worthy to be observed, that even by this one point wee may discerne, how contrary the doctrine of the Church of Rome is unto the doctrine of the spirit of God in the holy Scriptures: For what is that confession of sins that the Papists speake so much of in all their Catechismes, which they urge as a matter of so great necessity, which they call a Sacrament, which they make one of the three essentiall parts of true repentance, without which they say no man can receive absolution and remission of his sins, nor entrance into the kingdome of heaven? Surely it is not the confession of sins that is made unto God, but that which is made in the eares of a Priest; unto which they ascribe all this. And though they cannot deny but that inward confession of our daily sins unto God is good, yet neither doe they account it sufficient for any mans salvation, nor doe they urge it as a matter of so great necessity, or profit as the confession of sins to a Priest is.
Now of this confession of sins that is made unto the Lord, there be two kinds. For, first we confesse our sins unto God both in our publike prayers ordinary, and extraordinary that we make in the Congregation, and in our private prayers likewise both ordinary and extraordinary. And this confession of sins made unto God thus, is (doubtlesse) both profitable and necessary to be used, for it is a principall part of our prayer, comprehended under the name of supplication, (foreign) 1 Tim. 2.1. and enjoyned us in the fift petition of the Lords prayer, Mat. 6.12. as that indeed that maketh all the rest of our prayers the more acceptable unto God. This is that kind of confession that is mentioned by Nehemiah 9.2 and enjoyned by Ezra 10.11. with this in our Liturgie (according to the direction of the holy Scripture) we begin our publike prayers, and all Gods people that desire the benefit of the prayers of the Congregation, should make conscience of this, to come so soone to the Church, that they may joyne with the Congregation even in that.
Secondly, There is a confession of sins that we make unto God in secret, when we have none other witnesse of it, but the Lord himselfe. And this is that which our Saviour chiefely commendeth unto his people, under that direction which he giveth us, Mat. 6.6. When thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut to the doore, pray to thy father which is in secret; and verse 18. Shew thy selfe to fast and to be humbled for thy sins to thy father which is in secret. And this is that confession of our sins unto God, which we must labour to bring our hearts unto, and even to exercise our selves unto it, according to that phrase of the Apostle, 1 Tim. 4.7. Exercise thy selfe unto godlinesse. All other outward exercises of mortification, as fasting, and setting taskes of devotion unto our selves, of reading so much, saying over so many prayers, confessing of our sins to a Priest, have no such force as this, to bring our hearts either to mortification or comfort, but are like those bodily exercises of which the Apostle speaketh, 1 Tim. 4 8. Bodily exercise profiteth little.
Now for the further enforcing of this exhortation, and working in us all more conscience of this duty of confessing and bewailing our sins in secret unto God. 1. I will give you certaine motives to provoke you unto it. 2. I will shew you some helpes and meanes whereby you may be enabled to doe it. And the motives shall be but three. 1. From the necessity of this duty. 2. From the conveniencie of it. 3. For the fruit and benefit that is to be reaped by it.
And first for the necessity of it. We know that all men, the civilest yea the holiest man that is, is bound to make confession of his sins to God. So did Nehemiah, Neh 15. and Daniel, Dan 9.5.7.8. If wee (saith the Apostle 1 Iohn 1.8.—10.) say wee have no sinne; that is, (as is plaine by the antithesis that he maketh verse 9.) if we cannot in our prayers to God finde in our selues sins to confesse unto him, wee deceive our selves and the truth is not in us, yea, wee make him a lyar, and his word (whatsoever profession we make of it) is not in us; that is, in our hearts wee receive it not, wee beleeve it not. Yea, no man can have hope God will pardon his sin, till he can bring his heart to confesse it unto God; nor have so comfortable assurance of the pardon of any sin, that he never yet particularly confessed and accused himselfe of before, as he may have of the other. For the promise of mercy (at least of the comfortable assurance of mercy from God) is made upon this condition. Returne thou back-sliding Israel, saith the Lord, ( …re. 3.12, 13.) and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you, for I am mercifull saith the Lord, onelyonly acknowledge thine iniquity. This is plaine in that prayer Solomon maketh for Gods people that should bee in captivity. 1 King. 8.47.—50. If they shall bethinke themselves and repent, and make supplication unto thee, saying wee have sinned and have done perversly, wee have committed wickednesse, then heare thou their prayer, and forgive thy people that have sinned against thee. And thus runneth the promise also, 1 Iohn 1.9. If we confesse our sinnes, hee is faithfull and just to forgive us our sins. If we confesse them we have assurance of the forgivenesse of them, but not else. Now every man hath some personall and particular si…s, that cannot be confessed in any of the prayers that we make with others, either in publike or private. If any other man be our mouth to God, he cannot confesse them, because he knoweth them not, 1 Cor. 2.11. What man knoweth the things of a man, but the spirit of man that is in him? If we our selves doe conceive the prayer, we will not (neither is it fit we should) discover it before others, at least not aggravate it by the circumstances of it; as we shall heare it is fit we should doe. There is therefore a necessity we should doe it in secret.
The second motive is from the conveniencie of it. For we make confession of our sins in secret unto God, much more effectually then any other way wee can doe. And that in two respects.
First, We may powre out our hearts more fully and freely unto God in secret, then we can doe in the presence of any other man. For we are all of us apt to thinke, that if we should in a particular manner utter and expresse how vile wretches we are before those that love vsus, and thinke best of us, they would never thinke well of us againe while we live, but account vsus ranke hypocrites. And indeed it may be so they would. In which respect we reade Zach. 12.12. that the husband should mourne apart, and the wife apart, they should not disclose their sins one to another. But there is no such thing to stay or hinder us from being free, and open hearted in secret. For 1. we can say no worse by our selves then the Lord knoweth already, better then our selves; according to that speech of David, Psal. 69.5. O God, thou knowest my foolishnesse, and my sins are not hid from thee. and 139.2, 3. O Lord thou understandest my thought afarre off, thou compassest my paths and my lying downe, and art acquainted with all my wayes. 2. We may be sure he will not like the worse, but the better of us for confessing and opening of our sins unto him, if we accuse our selues he will be the readier to absolve us. According to that we have heard, 1 Iohn 1.9. If we confesse our sins, he is faithfull, and just to forgive us, and 1 Cor. 11.31. If we would judge our selves, wee should not bee judged. Yee people (saith David, Psal. 62.8.) powre out your hearts before him; God is a refuge for us. As if he had said, ye have no cause to feare, or be ashamed to open your hearts to him, the more you can lay to your owne charge, and accuse your selves of, the more ready you shall finde him to bee a refuge and a comfort unto you. There is no cause of feare for an humbled soule to goe to him. Will hee plead against me with his great power? (saith Ioh 23.6.) no, but hee would put strength in mee. Iames 1.5. Hee giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not.
The second respect, wherein the conveniency of secret confession may appeare is this. That wee may in secret use more helpes of voice and gesture, and confesse our sins, and make our complaint against our selves with more expressions of griefe, then we can doe in the presence of others. A man that would be ashamed to shed teares before men in the acknowledgment of his sins, may be bold to doe it before the Lord. As Iob speaketh of himselfe, Iob 16.20. Mine eye powreth out teares (that is weepeth aboundantly) unto God. Thus did Iacob when he was alone, Hos. 12.4. And I tell you, even this maketh our confession of sins the more effectuall with God, when we can doe it with teares. As appeareth by that speech of God to Hezekiah, 2 King. 20.5. I have heard thy prayer, and seene thy teares. And this second respect may seeme to have moved David when he fasted and prayed for the child, to goe in to doe it 2 Sam. 12.16. and both other of Gods servants, and our blessed Saviour himselfe too, make choice of a secret place for their devotions. So did Elizeus, 2 King. 4.33. So did Peter, Act. 10.9 So did our Saviour, Mar. 1.35. They knew they might have more liberty for voice and gesture and teares there, then they could have had in the company of men.
The third and last motive that may provoke us unto this duty, is the consideration of the fruits and benefits that are to be received by it. And those are two principally.
First, This will give a man farre greater assurance of the truth and uprightnesse of his heart, when he can confesse and bewaile his sin in secret unto God, then any confession of his sin in the presence of others is able to doe. This is one of the arguments wherby Iob proveth himselfe to have bin no hypocrite (as his friends charged him) because he had not been wont to cover his transgressions from God, as Adam did, not to hide them in his bosome, but had beene wont freely and ingeniously to confesse them unto God Iob 31.33. This argueth there is no guile in the spirit when a man can acknowledge his sins unto God, and confesse his transgressions unto him, Psal. 32.2, 3.5. And our Saviour perswading his disciples to take heed of hypocrisie in performing religious duties, prescribeth this for an antidote to preserve them from it, to learne to make conscience of doing them in secret, Mat. 6.5, 6. Be not as the hypocrites, for they love to pray in open places, where they may be seene of men, but thou when … prayest enter into thy closet. For it is strange to see how far an hypocrite may go in performing religious duties in the presence of others; as our Saviour there sheweth, they love to pray (saith he) standing in the Synagogues. They will seeme to shew great delight and zeale in good duties so long as they have men to be witnesses of it. Yea in this very point of making confession of their sins before men, hypocrites and gracelesse men have gone very far. Pharaoh did this to Moses and Aaron sundry times, Exod. 9.27. and 10.16. and Saul unto Samuel, 1 Sam. 15 24.30. (auricular confession unto a Priest you see a rancke hypocrite may make) and Iudas made confession of his sin before the Priests and Elders publikely in the Temple. Yea, to the party he hath wronged an hypocrite will be able to confes his sin, as Saul did to David, 1 Sam. 24.17, 18. and 26.21. But of none of these you can read, that ever they could go to God in secret and powre out their hearts before him. So that you see this is one benefit a man shal receive by it, it will give him a cōfortable assurance of the sincerity & uprightnes of his heart before God.
Secondly. It will give great assurance to a man of mercy from God, in the pardon of his sins. Gods people have bin wont to find as great ease to their consciences by confessing their sins to God, as ever stomack that was sick, and oppressed did by casting up the meat that offended it; or sore that was impostumated by giving vent to the filthy matter, that put it unto paine. David professeth of himselfe, Ps. 119.25, 26. that when his soule cleaved to the dust (that it was quite cast downe, and dejected, as one foyled, and wounded by his enemy, and ready to give up the Ghost) he tooke this course to relieve himselfe, and found comfort in it, hee declared his wayes unto God, and he heard him. And in another place having spoken of his owne experience in this case, how hee being in extreame anguish of mind, and unable to find case any other way, by betaking himselfe to this course, found comfort, and assurance of mercy from God, Ps. 32.5. I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity … I not …id. I said I will acknowledge my transgression unto the Lord, and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. He inferreth thereupon, ver. 6. For this cause shall every one that is godly pray unto thee; that is, every one that is godly that is truly humbled for his sin shall be encouraged by my example, to seek the same way for mercy that I have done And what followeth? Surely to the flouds of great waters, they shall not come nigh unto him. As if he had said, He that taketh this course, let his afflictions and sorrowes be never so great, he shall not be overwhelmed with them, hee shall bee sure to find comfort in them. And it cannot otherwise be, but they take this course must needs find comfort in it, for God hath bound himselfe by promise to it, Pro. 28.13. H… that confesseth and forsaketh his sins shall find mercy. 1 Ioh. 1.9. If we confesse our sins, God is faithfull, and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from … unrighteousnes. So Ioh 33.27, 28. If any say, I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not, he will deliver his soule from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light. Yea, he hath bound himselfe by promise to his people, that though they be never so much oppressed, & burdened in their minds either with the sense of their sins, or with any judgements that for their sins are fallen upon them, though they even pine away in their iniquity, as he speaketh, Lev. 26.39. (foretelling the case his people should be in, in the time of their captivity) yet saith he ver 40.42. If then they shall confesse their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, with their owne trespasse which they have trespassed against me, and that also they have walked contrary unto me, then will I remember my covenant. And as these promises are made to all Gods people that can confesse and complaine of their sins unto him, so specially to such as can acquaint themselves with God, and accustom themselves to do this in secret, according to that speech of our blessed Saviour, Mat. 6.6. Pray to thy father which is in secret, and thy father which is in secret will reward thee openly, and ver. 18. Shew thy selfe to fast, and to be humbled to thy father which is in secret, and thy father which is in secret, shall reward thee openly. I speake not thus much to encourage any hypocrite that is apt to blesse himselfe in his profane neglect of praying with his family, and of joyning with Gods people in prayer either ordinary or extraordinary, and say, though I doe not joyne with others in these duties, yet I use to pray, and confesse my sins in secret unto God upon my bed, & that is the best of al. For to these I say as our Saviour doth, Mat 23.23. This ought ye to do, and not to leave the other undone. And if thou didst indeed of conscience towards God, & in a conscionable manner pray in secret, & cenfesse thy sins in secret, thou wouldst also joyne with Gods people in these duties, because God hath aswell cōmanded the one as the other. For whosoever shal keep the whole law, & yet offend in one point, is guilty of al, Iam. 2.10 But I have spoken all this to so many of you as feare the Lord, that use to pray and confesse your sins with your families, and joyne with Gods people in the publike cōfessions that are made in the congregation, do so stil in Gods name, but rest not in that; learne to do this duty in secret also; get thee into thy closet to do this; yea, if thou have no place private enough in thine house to do it in, do as yong Isaac did, Gen. 24.63. and our Saviour, Luke 5.16. get thee into the field sometimes to do it; Doe as David did, Psal. 22.2. in the nights upon thy bed. And when thou art alone, poure out thy heart unto God, lay open thy sins before him in particular, and aggravate them with the circumstances, whereby they are made more hainous, worke thy heart to do it with sorrow, and with teares, seeke ease to thy heart, and comfort this way, when thou art in greatest heavinesse, remember the promises God hath made, to shew mercy to them that can doe so, stay thy faith upon them, expect the performance of them, and challenge it as his hand, and doubtlesse thou shalt find comfort in it.